A local fundraiser for Mission Reach Out Haiti will be held at Gracia Abundante Church at 5 Old Stone Highway in Springs on Saturday at 7 PM. Tickets are $40 per person and dinner will be served.

It is wonderful to see people touched by the work in Haiti and motivated to organize this fundraiser for the school in Haiti. Look at the contrast to our Congressman Bishop who for one year has not been able to help get food from USAID or other sources.

One can’t wonder if it is political football with the poor because the home Church of the Mission, Southampton Full Gospel Church, disagrees with the Congressman on moral issues. Sad that our Congressman can get a fireworks permit for someone living on the ocean in Sagaponack, hold $2000 per plate fundraisers for himself but is clueless how to get food for the poor children in Haiti.

The Gracia Abundante Church, comprised mainly of recent immigrants, understands the hardship of poverty and how help can make all the difference in the world. As Jesus said about the Good Samaritan, in Luke 10:33 “ . . . and when he saw him, he had compassion on him.”

JAMES BOYD

No Character

Dear Editor,

August 28 marked the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, which culminated with Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

Most, if not all of the speakers usurped this historic tribute and instead converted it into an anti-American, anti-White, and anti-Republican political rally – and were applauded for doing so.

When you compare the past black leaders, true giants such as Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks to name a few, the speakers on August 28 came off as a rabid bunch of juvenile delinquents in need of adult supervision.

If Dr. King were alive, he would have boycotted this sorrowful spectacle. Not one speech had content. Not one speaker had character.

MARTIN J.KERINS

Middle East Equilibrium

Dear Editor,

To foster world stability, it is in the best interest of the U.S. to promote equilibrium in the Middle East.

Israel should be kept strong because it is a Western-oriented ally and buffer country in the region.

Iraq was a buffer against Iran. With the death of Hussein and the takeover by the Shiites, the balance of power has shifted to Shiite Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The Sunni majority in Syria, supported by Sunni Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, is fighting President Assad of Syria, a Shiite. We should support the Sunnis in Syria with some arms and hope they can hold their own and keep Assad off balance. Since the Syrian rebels have al Qaeda elements among them, we do not want to strengthen them, nor weaken Assad, too much.

Egypt is a dubious friend of the U.S. The Sunni Muslim Brotherhood continues to cast a shadow on the country. We should back the Egyptian military as a counter-weight to the Islamists in Egypt.

Sectarianism in the Middle East prevails over national identity, and conflicts will be fought due to sectarian and religious differences. We have to remember who our potential enemies are in the world.

DONALD A. MOSKOWITZ

Not At All

Dear Rick,

If you live and work in East Hampton, as my husband Joe and I do, property taxes are a constant worry. We want the government we need, but at a price we can afford.

At a recent public forum, I proposed that we review all non-tax revenue as a way to keep a lid on our taxes. The example I cited was non-resident beach parking. Non-resident means the people who DON’T live in East Hampton, but visit to enjoy our beaches and town. They are welcome, but it is appropriate that they contribute to the maintenance of the town they come to enjoy. As it is, the Village raises more than twice as much as the town from non-resident beach parking.

To my surprise, I opened your newspaper the other day to find Republican candidate Fred Overton accusing me of proposing beach parking fees for our residents. Not at all! As Town Clerk, Fred’s job is to issue resident and non-resident beach parking permits. So he certainly has to know the difference. Perhaps Fred, who was there at that same public forum, just wasn’t paying close attention.

If I am elected, residents will continue to park at our beaches for free -- while I find ways to keep our taxes down.